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StritchNews

Tennis off to a strong start at Stritch

Friday, December 13, 2013 8:25:00 PM

by
Paige Quiñones, ’14

This
fall marked a big year for Stritch as the University welcomed new sports teams,
including men's and women's tennis. As the former assistant
coach for the tennis team at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a former
Division I tennis player at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, head Coach
Mark Goldin brings diverse experience to Stritch's tennis program. Assisting
Goldin is Orsolya Golovics, who hails from Hungary and used to play tennis for
Northern Arizona University.

This
fall, the teams competed in the team format. The women's team played a total of
six dual matches where they finished 5-1. One of those wins was to Ashford
University (Clinton, Iowa), which is ranked 20th in the nation. The men's team
played two dual matches and finished 2-0. The team’s spring season kicks off on
Jan. 9 when they will play in the singles format with a total of 19 matches
planned for both the women's and men's teams.

“Throughout
this season I was able to shape these athletes and see them grow as players and
people, but the best part was being able to watch them grow together as a
team,” Goldin said.

Goldin’s
main focus as a coach is to instill his players with mental toughness as he
pushes them to compete at a high level.

“The
toughest part to master of any sport isn't the physical requirement, but the
mental aspect,” Goldin said.

Stritch
was successful in recruiting seasoned tennis players, both from high school
teams and from other universities. Along with beating the 20th ranked team in
the nation, Goldin's highlight this past season was building the team’s
chemistry and watching his players grow.

“Since
this group came in already playing at a high level the next important aspect
was establishing good team chemistry,” Goldin said.

This
spring, he hopes to strengthen his player’s mental game strategies and
ultimately make Wolves tennis a well-respected and recognized program.

“My
long-term goal for the tennis program is to shape my players into strong,
competitive athletes that can complete at an advanced level and make Stritch a
ranked program, which will ultimately help bring in recruits for the future,”
Goldin said.

Goldin's
passion for tennis began at an early age.

“I
started playing tennis with my dad when I was a child and my love for the game
continued to grow throughout the years,” Goldin said.

In
Goldin's early years you could find him practicing long hours at Nicolet High
School where he played all four years of high school.

“This
whole experience has come full circle for me that I have the ability to coach
the first tennis team at Stritch and practice at Nicolet where I used to play
when I was younger."